Guessing Game [Closed]

Sun crept through a break in the warrior's den and fractured the comfortable darkness of his rest. Sparkfrost blinked a couple times in an effort to dispel the light. It didn't work. Half-opening his eyes, the hints of a contented smirk broke out across his maw. Even if he was not used to being back in Riverclan territory, that did not dispel what pleasant moments there were to be experienced. Such as sleep. With the daylight already in full swing, the tom found himself grateful that he hadn't been selected for one of the morning patrols. Being a warrior seemed like something he would enjoy, if he knew more about it. Although he was enjoying the sunlight across his fur, the tom's newly steadied paws itched for something to do. A quick stretch warmed his muscles and he let out a great yawn before heading for the den entrance. Outside cats were already going about their day. He wondered what someone in his position might do. Until his gaze caught on a particular black and white pelt. Magpie, right? That sounded right. Sparkfrost had an apprentice to train now. That would give them both something to do. With a new determination, he trotted towards the younger cat with a warm smile, "You ready to train today, Magpie?"

StarClan...what am I doing?

As morning streams of sunlight began to cast lines across the clearing through the tall barrier of reeds and cattails surrounding RiverClan's almost rebuilt camp, Magpiepaw could be found laying on his stomach outside of the apprentice's den, the warm sand comforting yet oddly itchy as he drew marks in the soft soil with a disinterested claw.  Black and white tail tucked anxiously against his side, after a long minute of blank non-action he seemed to rise from his trance, the glaze in his golden eyes fading as his paw fell still.  He sighed, a miserable sound that expressed nothing but hopelessness; it had been two sunrises since he had blown Dappleshine off at her warrior ceremony, and even though the logical part of his mind screamed to go wake up his best friend and apologize, the twinge in his heart at the memory of the cheering crowd and shining eyes made him want to go find a hole to crawl into.  He was happy for her, truly, just...jelous?  No, that wasn't right...she deserved her new rank.  The real question that kept nagging in the back of his mind was one that filled every inch on him with crippling dread; will I ever be able to catch up with her?  Am I doomed to be stuck like this forever, useless and drowning in my memories?  Will...will I ever be the cat Finchstream and Cloudstone died to give me the chance to be?

"You ready to train today, Magpie?"

Sparkfrost's sudden voice knocked him out of his mind, while also triggering the usual response to anyone sneaking up on him; fur fluffing out, jumping to his paws, mildly terrified.  After a moment though, the familiar soft tones of his brother's pelt reminding him of long-ago kithood memories, Magpiepaw's fur smoothed and a hesitant smile appeared, though his mind wasn't quite as calm.  Coward, it cried, scared of your own Clanmates.  What kind of warrior are you?  Magpiepaw nodded offhandedly, for a long moment his mentor's actual words failing to sink in, until the negative voice died away to be replaced with pure joy.  "WHA- um, y-yes, yes!"  The bi-color tom's bright eyes lit up, along with every hair on his face, and the little tom's tail launched into the air.  Finally, this was his chance!  He could learn what all his denmates learned moons ago...maybe after today, he wouldn't be so behind after all!  With a genuine smile, his forepaws kneaded the ground, not remembering the last time he had been this excited for something.  "A-are we leaving, now?"  His usually soft, anxious voice rang clear, seemingly forgetting for a moment that he would be facing the unknown...and that his mentor was pretty much a beginner as well.

Watching the excitement in the young cat, regardless of the lack of knowledge of their relationship, was contagious. A broad grin came across his maw as he nodded enthusiastically. It felt nice to be able to lead him from camp and get to explore the territory. The sensation was comparable to seeing it for the first time himself. Sparkfrost's dull green eyes were wide as he drank in the territory. Although he had seen it many times before the failed memory couldn't conjure up a previous image. This water-damaged, over-sodden, plot of land was all he knew to be Riverclan. After a few steps, it finally occurred to the dilute calico that he had no clue where he was going. Perhaps, if he just wondered around, they could practice hunting. After the previous patrol, the one near camp, he realized that was a skill he must have learned before. And he was good at it too. Maybe Magpiepaw would enjoy that.

"So, apprentice, we're going to do some hunting today. Which I know how to do and will show you." The words came out a little awkward as he stumbled through them, but it was equally matched with his usual cheer and charm. Sparkfrost tasted the air like Ivypaw and Dappleshine had shown him the other day. There was something he couldn't quite place. It had to be some sort of prey. Trotting a few steps ahead, the warrior eventually crouched down facing the patch of reeds with his hindquarters high and tail flicking slightly in anticipation. He crept forward stealthily, but right before he could pounce, the wind picked up to reveal little more than a stray leaf that must have drifted from the neighboring territory. He sat back up and tilted his head slightly. That didn't quite go as planned. Glancing back at the younger tom, he meowed, "That's kind of how you hunt. But that was just practice. We can try it on real prey, if you want. Oh, and watch the wind. It changes sometimes which isn't helpful."

Sparkfrost uses 3 stamina to try and catch the leaf; the catch was unsuccessful.

Sparkfrost:
SP 197/200

The member 'Ripped' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 9

As his calico brother nodded, Magpiepaw purred, small ears usually held flat against his head springing upright out of pure excitement.  However, as they left camp and began to trek across the wet, muddy territory, his sudden burst of energy slowly faded back to a ringing tone of anxiety and uncertainty, buzzing in his head like an annoying fly he couldn't flick away.  But...what if I'm terrible at hunting, and I can never learn how?  What if I can't fight, or swim or track prey or...  His dour thoughts raced on, and the little bi-color tom's pace began to slow, suddenly wanting to race back to camp and hide in the apprentice's den.  As the thought occurred to him though, Dappleshine's sad and concerned face blocked everything else, and he knew he had to at least try.  Not only for his best friend and his family but for himself too; as he had said to Jaystar, he couldn't take being left behind any longer, and the passion that came with the decision still made his skin boil...but not in a bad way.  Bolstering himself, Magpiepaw lifted his chin and marched forward, trying to stop his tail from twitching fearfully.  I am not scared, I am not a coward, I am- "Ooof!"  With a squeak, Magpiepaw felt his paw slip into a hole, bringing his body down with it.  Well...I guess I'm muddy.  

Pulling himself out with a grunt and shaking off all the mud he could, he realized that Sparkfrost had stopped walking, and quickly pulled himself together to listen.  Hunting...okay, I can do this!  Just watch him, he knows how...  First, Sparkfrost scented the air, which Magpiepaw did as well, though he couldn't really smell anything.  He remembered prey-scent from beside the lake, and there didn't seem to be any nearby.  Sparkfrost, however, seemed to pick something up, so Magpiepaw disregarded his thoughts.  He's a warrior, he must know better than I do.  Watching carefully as his mentor crouched down, Magpiepaw followed, trying to replicate the way his legs bent and moved in silence.  He, however, felt a bit unbalanced, but that might've just been the uneven ground. Watching with bated breath as Sparkfrost prepared to pounce, Magpiepaw didn't notice the wind pick up until something was flying towards him from the patch of reeds Sparkfrost had been watching...a leaf?  Eyes wide, he acted on his already tensed form - ready to jump - and leaped forward, pinning the leaf under his forepaws.  He smiled; it was like when he was a kit, chasing dead leaves with his siblings.  Of course, back then he used to get trampled, but now he was bigger and (hopefully) stronger.  By the time Sparkfrost turned back towards him, he had let the leaf float away, not wanting his mentor to catch him doing kit things, but he couldn't help but smile as his older sibling passed off his mistake as 'practice', but went along with it.  

"A-alright!"  Real prey...this would be a challenge.  Short tail twitching as he concentrated, Magpiepaw lifted his muzzle to the sky, sniffing hard with his mouth open as he had seen some of the older cats do.  He could smell...something?  It was definitely an animal, but one he didn't quite know the scent of.  Following it, doing his best to stay downwind, Magpiepaw finally caught sight of something...but it was much bigger than he expected.  It was a...rabbit?!  I didn't know they even lived around here...maybe it crossed over from WindClan in search of food?  Nonetheless, he crouched down, trying to arrange himself as Sparkfrost had despite still feeling lopsided, and prepared to pounce...despite the fact that the creature was only a little smaller than he was.  Just as he leaped forward though, he knew that something was wrong.  First, his paw felt stuck, and once he got about a mouse-length off of the ground he realized he had nowhere to go but down.  Second, the rabbit saw him and began bolting away faster than he imaged an animal could run, Lastly, he toppled to the ground with back legs tangled, hitting his chin on a rock that was concealed under the mud, making his eyes tear up.  He had failed.  The pain in his chin wasn't the only reason his eyes were beginning to overflow.

---

Magpiepaw uses 3 stamina to try and catch the rabbit; the catch was unsuccessful.

Magpiepaw:
20/20
77/80 (-3)

The member 'RainyHeart' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 9

If he had turned around quickly enough to see the pounce, Sparkfrost would have cheered on the young tom and encouraged the seemingly kit-like behavior that had been a wonderful example of a hunting style he hardly knew. But the warrior was too slow and turned after the leaf had already drifted off across the breeze. He turned to the apprentice with encouragement shining behind the pale, dull green of his gaze. It was then he noticed that Magpiepaw was covered in mud. His head tilted slightly as he found it curious. Although, it occurred to the older cat that with the sodden ground and dull gray hues, as the sun disappeared behind the clouds, and the various browns, his apprentice seemed to blend in better with the background than he would have with the usual black and white coat. That was such a good idea. His ear flicked at Magpiepaw agreed, and while he was usually daft to a small moment like that, he did catch the slight verbal pause.

"You'll do great." Sparkfrost meowed softly to himself as his brother took off in the direction of a rabbit that charged past. Quickly, it appeared that the catch attempt was going otherwise. Was rabbit not a usual prey for Riverclan? His cheerful expression fell ever so slightly as he watched Magpie flop into more mud and the creature darted off, safely out of the claws of any cat. Immediately, he raced over to the young cat's side. Teeth gingerly gripped the scruff of the smaller tom as he pulled him him from the muck and onto his paws. Without giving it much thought, he began to lap at the mud that covered Magpie's face, eyes, and maw. After a moment, he pulled back. Sparkfrost wasn't the best at dealing with difficult situations and often, recently, he found himself wondering what the old him would have done. Was there something about the previous Sparkfrost all these cats knew that he was missing? It escaped him, memory failed him. And once again he reminded himself that he wasn't that cat. He could only be himself.

"It's alright, Magpie. Some catches aren't meant to be caught. Maybe we should try something... a little less fast. Maybe," he paused, searching for an idea and after a moment, it came to him, "we should try fishing!" Any thoughts of the fact he had not fished before could not keep up with the speed of his mouth. Well, he was committed now. After waiting for Magpiepaw to follow, he trotted towards the river's edge. The banks were muddy and a mixture of reeds and cattails poked up from the water and earth. At least they would be able to hide under the coverage. And with Magpiepaw already half-mud, it would be harder for fish to spot him. Remembering what a good idea it was, the warrior rolled onto his back and allowed his own dilute, calico coat to disappear into a thick coat of brown. He grinned upon returning to a standing position once more.

"That was a good idea. If we look like the mud, its less likely to scare the prey away."

Right away he darted to the edge of the water, trying not to lean over as to avoid casting a shadow. He didn't quite process the reasoning behind the action but it simply felt natural to do it that way. As he watched patiently, the mud drying into his coat underneath the passing rays of sunlight, Sparkfrost's eyes were fixated on the water. Shadows twisted and swam beneath the surface. Sitting there, stone still, felt right and he found himself enjoying the peace of the moment as the water babbled on softly. Whether Magpie was mimicking the move or simply watching, he didn't even think of. Sparkfrost was in the zone and there was nothing that would break his concentration. Until one particularly large shadow slipped by and his paw flashed out instinctively. A plump fish broke through the water's surface and he ended it was a swift bite to the side. It wasn't until after that he paused to realize what he had just done. That was good, he supposed, to know how to fish. After a momentary pause, the warrior meowed slowly, "So, that's how you fish."

Sparkfrost uses 3 stamina to try and catch the fish; the catch was successful!

Sparkfrost:
SP 194/200

The member 'Ripped' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 9

Mouse-brain...I'm not going to be able to do this, aren't I?  His back paws scrabbling weakly in the muddy puddle that held him down, front paws straining to lift his minimal weight, Magpiepaw's lip began to quiver, a feeling which he absolutely loathed.  I can't cry now...not in front of Sparkfrost, not in front of anyone!  Not Dappleshine, not Egretpaw or Ospreykit or Raggedpaw...they can't see that I'm still a...  Suddenly, with a faint yelp of shock, Magpiepaw felt teeth grab hold of his scruff, gently lifting him out of the mud and back onto solid earth.  Sitting down with his hind legs splayed awkward, the young tom looked up at Sparkfrost, common decency trying to force his mouth open to say thank you, but emotions telling otherwise.  Looking down, he tried to hide his face, deeply embarrassed, but no such luck.  In fact, Sparkfrost began licking his face, grooming out the mud that clung to his maw and ears and threatened to drip into his eyes.  Magpiepaw wasn't really used to another cat grooming him...it felt like eons since Finchstream had cleaned his pelt as a kit, her comforting purr a constant comforting noise in his unsure world.  Now though, to be groomed by a brother, a Clanmate, once again felt oddly similar, and the bicolor tom felt himself relaxing for the few moments it lasted.  

Ears and eyes flicking upward as Sparkfrost spoke, despite the fact that he kept forgetting his suffix he sounded just like he always did before his memory had been lost; cheerful, optimistic, happy, almost to a fault.  And it finally made him smile.  "O-okay, I-I'll try my best..."  Fishing...he remembered one day when he and his siblings had just been weaned; Finchstream had broken a bit of ice that covered the stream that ran through the camp and one by one had caught each of the five kits a minnow.  He could still remember it's savory, yet kinda stringy flavor, and ever since he had always loved eating fish.  Catching them on the other paw...  Following Sparkfrost warily down towards the water's edge, he abruptly jumped to a halt as his mentor suddenly dropped to the ground, rolling around in the mud like a clumsy kit.  Open-mouthed, Magpiepaw didn't know what to say until the former calico - now brown - tom-cat jumped back up, grinning with a purr.  My...good idea?!  For a long moment he was struck silent, before suddenly in a great breath, Magpiepaw laughed so hard his sides hurt.  Seeing Sparkfrost crouched at the edge of the river, completely covered in mud, was able to break through his deep-set barrier of despair, if only for a moment.  He realized quickly though that his mentor was trying to hunt, and he should probably pay attention.

Magpiepaw settled down to watch, noting silently the unusual way his mentor sat so that his shadow was against the ground instead of the rippling water, and just how long it was taking for a fish to come by.  A couple of times the apprentice caught himself tuning out, before jolting back into alertness, ears pricked as high as possible.  At last, Sparkfrost's paw shot out with the speed of the wind, and within heartbeats, it was over; a fish lay dead on the bank, and Sparkfrost was motioning for him to try.  Round golden eyes wide and anxious, Magpiepaw gulped down his fear and stepped forward, gazing down into the water.  Settling down once he found the same angle Sparkfrost had been at, he waited with held breath, watching the current down below.  There were many shadows, most of them small or waving like grass did above ground, but after a few minutes of waiting, a bigger shadow appeared.  For a moment he hesitated; was it a fish, or just some kind of debris?  As his paw flashed down into the water though, he felt his claws connect with something fleshy; a tail!  "W-Woah!"  The fish was lashing hard, trying to get his claws out of the thin skin that made up its fin, but Magpiepaw sprung into action.  Gritting his teeth, he sunk his back claws into the bank and reached down with his other paw, grabbing the large fish as securely as he could and hauling it up onto land, replacing his paws with teeth once it was out of the water.  Crunching down with his stronger jaws on the creature's neck, it was over so fast, he almost couldn't belive it.  Placing his catch down on the ground, he waited a moment to see if it came back to life or even just vanish before his very eyes...but it was still there.  A bloody, blank-eyed trout...and Magpiepaw had never been so proud.  "I...Sparkfrost, I did it!  I DID IT!"  With a cry of pure joy, the tom bounced in place, the widest smile he had felt in a long time dawning like sunrise upon his once sad face.

The member 'RainyHeart' has done the following action : Dices roll

---

'Hunting Dice' : 2